All posts tagged ‘serenity’

In case you Browncoats missed the post title, let me repeat… this is THE Firefly book you’ve been waiting for for 10 years. Firefly: A Celebration pulls together three previously published Titan books into one massive, faux-leather, 550 page hardbound book filled with full-color photos and enough reading material to cover at least three months travel across The Black. What’s in it? Glad you asked.

* Full scripts for all episodes — Even if you’ve memorized every bit of dialogue, it’s so cool to be able to read stage directions and the thoughts of the writers when they set up a scene or provide background for the actors to get a better grip on their characters’ actions and responses.

* Prop Closeups — There are tons of closeup photos of weapons, badges, outfits, consoles, and yes, Serenity and its numerous nooks and crannies. Much of this is often paired with some descriptions of how something was made. Anyone want to recreate Vera? You’ll find enough detailed images here to make that happen (plus any of the other weapons to complete your costume).

What else? Okay, here’s more, but I know it’s not complete and I’ve missed stuff:

* Essays on each of the primary characters, including information on casting and original motivations (that may or may not have changed once filming started)

* Small snippets of memories from the actors about key scenes or funny stories, scattered throughout the scripts

* Intros to each script tell how an episode may have been changed from the original script — some real surprises scattered in these, so read them

* Closeups of the currency that you only glimpse here and there in episodes — now you’ve got full-color and large examples to reference

* A breakdown of Mal’s pistol, showing its origins (a Taurus 85) plus a closeup of Mal’s holster for you cosplayers

* Photos of the spacesuits that are so difficult to get in full length detail from the episodes

* The full story on Kaylee’s dress/ball gown

* Did you know that Badger’s character was originally going to be played by Whedon? Get details on the outfit including how Mark A. Sheppard made the outfit his own.

* Closeups of Serenity’s ship papers, almost 80% readable, including the leather book that holds it

* Beautiful hand-sketches (in full color) of all the major characters’ costumes — including fabric scraps and notes about those few characters who had nude scenes

* “Hero of Canton” original lyrics as well as the story behind its creation

* “The Ballad of Serenity” by Joss Whedon — and, of course, a couple of stories about its origin and compromises that were made on its sound

* Nice long section on Production Design and information on how CGI Serenity became Real Serenity on stages — also a nice cutaway drawing of the decks

* Most detailed photo ever seen of Jayne’s gun-cleaning kit as well as a layout of his gun belt with holster and ammo bag

* Closeups of the crew medical badges for the Ariel episode, including the hilarious fake names given to them that were never readable on screen

* Detailed write-ups on every crew member’s unique costume plus the same details for episode-specific costumes

* Photos of more props than you’ll ever remember existed in the show, including closeups for cosplayers – lamps, hand computers, comm devices, knives, patches, Kaylee’s techy tools, and the list goes on and on…

* An article about Firefly episodes that never got made

* Closeups of Simon’s medical equipment, including some of the unique props that fly by so fast such as the adrenaline hypodermic needle info band and some scopes and scalpels

* Two short stories from original Firefly writers, including one that tells a tale of a retired captain getting news about one of his old crewmembers who has died

* The Writing Process — an outstanding essay by Jane Espenson about creating a television episode and the steps involved in developing the story

* Storyboard images for the “Battle of Serenity Valley” episode – over 50 of them showing the progress of that first fight scene with Mal and Zoe

* Gina Torres’ reaction to Wash’s death in the movie — short but memorable

* Closeup of some of the damage done by River to Book’s Bible, Burgess’ Laser pistol, and Wash’s dinosaurs (detailed and perfect for cosplayers looking for the exact dinosaurs and custom paint jobs)

* The story of The Lassiter — Did you know The Lassiter existed as a prop long before Firefly ever existed? Get the story on the first practical laser weapon from one of the best heist episodes ever, complete with closeups AND details on the actual flashlight and 60s raygun used for its creation

* The Story of Monkey Shines, one long-running prank that happened on set, complete with ransom letters, photos, and details about the culprit

* Two full-color hand-drawn pages from the kid story, Fun with Dick and Jayne

* The answer to what ever happened to Jayne’s statue head

* Great behind-the-scene photos and essay about the locales that were used for filming key scenes

* Early drawings of Serenity and a progressive development of images and text on how the ship was finalized – TONS of closeup photos from around the ship, including medical, bridge, and walkways as well as details on other ships including Reavers, med ships, and Alliance ships

* Essays on Browncoats, conventions, merchandise, charities, and more

* Nine full-color cast photos (one actor per photo) suitable for framing plus one extra with a closeup of an Alliance bank note

Is there more? Absolutely… the above list was just me flipping through the book again looking for all the stuff I could tell you about, but I’ve missed plenty… including small bits on music and set design and fight scenes and… well, you get the picture.

Firefly: A Celebration is a 550-page book dedicated to one of the best sci-fi shows ever developed. It’ll make you smile… and it may make you cry. It will definitely make you wonder what could have been with a second season… or maybe even a third or beyond. Given the show only had 14 episodes, it’s amazing just how much information Titan has pulled together here. While some of the stories are familiar to fans, there’s plenty here that you probably do not know (well, unless you owned the three individual books originally published by Titan). They’ve wrapped it up in a nice brown faux-leather cover, complete with gold leaf Firefly logo and stamped with A Celebration and Created by Joss Whedon.

I’m already looking forward to going back and re-watching every episode again with the scripts nearby — there are a number of key scenes that I’ve always had questions about and now have answers… bits of dialogue that flew by and I missed something. It’s also nice to read interviews with the actors and realize that they feel the exact same way about the show as the fans, including details on how they got the news that the show was being cancelled… and the news about the movie being given the go-ahead.

Cosplayers are going to make loud “Squee!” sounds when they get their hands on this book… for me, I expected the delivery and ran fast to the door when the UPS guy rang the doorbell. I wasted no time ripping the box open (forget the scissors!) and pulling the book out — the weight of the box gave me a good hint of what was inside.

Grab your copy and dig in… like I said, there’s enough reading here to last you a good while. If you’re like me, you’ll be taken back to 2002 when the episodes began to air (and not in the right order, but did we care?) and Firefly will be new again. The book is allowing me to experience the show again, but from a more knowledgable position about the actors, the directors, the storytellers, and the plots. And I’m loving every minute of it.

Note: Thanks to Tom at Titan for providing this Firefly fan with his review copy!

By now most of our readers have come across the Lego Cuuso site, a place where builders can submit models and people can vote on them. If the model gets 10,000 votes Lego will look into the possibility of making it into an official playset.

I came across this idea by Thomas Lockwood, Cuuso user Tbone_TB1, to build a Firefly Serenity play set. He has already built a small model of Serenity and is proposing a larger model that would accommodate minifigs. He is also planning on these features:

Movable loading ramp

Cockpit capable of fitting 1 minifig

Light up firefly drive

Playable dining area and cargo hold

Rotating engines

As for the minifigs, Thomas has some concept art for Firefly minifigs that look really good. I especially like the Jayne with a ski cap and Wash kind of looked like a minifig already. Speaking of Firefly characters, Morena Baccarin (who played Inara) recently gave the project a boost when she tweeted about it.

To give your support to the project go to the Firefly Playset Cuuso page and vote for it and make sure you scroll down to see the minifigs. To see more photos of the Lego Serenity model check out Thomas’s Gallery over at Brickshelf. He does good work and I wouldn’t mind having my own Serenity to put next to the Millennium Falcon in my china closet.

We’ve all seen the ornaments Hallmark comes out with every year, and to be fair, some of them are excellent. There are a few Star Trek ones each year, and Star Wars ones, and other somewhat geeky ones, but they’re mainstream — and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with mainstream Christmas decorations, we are geeks and geeks tend to prefer things that are at least a little outside of mainstream.

So, as a public service, and because it’s fun, here is our list of the top 10 geeky Christmas decorations we could find. Please let us know if we’ve left out your favorite by leaving a comment.

10. Captain Kirk With Ripped Shirt Statue
The only reason this isn’t higher on the list, because it’s completely awesome, is that it may not actually be available for sale. It’s listed on designer Kurt Adler’s website, but we couldn’t find anywhere to actually buy it. Nevertheless, the idea of Kirk getting a new shirt for Christmas while wearing a ripped one is, really, sheer genius (and if you can find it for sale somewhere, please let us know!).

8. Cardboard Skull Wreath
Sure, it’s nontraditional. And yes, it’s a bit on the macabre side. But if you’ve ever wanted a way to show your Christmas spirit by decorating while at the same time proving that you’re a rebel against mainstream tradition, you could hardly find a better way. Plus, it’s really cool.

7. R2-D2 and Yoda String Lights
Yes, even your lights can be geeky. Are they any weirder than the popular chili pepper lights? Well, OK, yes, they are … but that’s just part of their charm!

6. Flying Spaghetti Monster Ornament
If the religious aspect of Christmas isn’t that important to you, or if you’d just like to be inclusive of other belief systems, why not include an image of His Noodliness on your tree?

Typically Ken and I reserve our October shows for Halloween merriment. With all our recent scheduling and technical problems, however, we’ve elected to devote this episode to some unfinished business — namely spotlighting three new releases that certainly warrant your attention.

Frontalots new album Solved promises to answer all of life’s nagging questions, to unfurl those pesky enigmas in a manner most musical. Assuming, of course, that the bulk of said questions concern the undead and/or giant, multi-pilot robot. For most other issues you’re pretty much on your own. Thankfully the album doubles as a more-than-serviceable soundtrack to your daily, dilemma-filled life.

JoCo’s latest takes the geek rock troubadour into unfamiliar territory: in this case a real, professional studio with a big name producer. They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh helped give Artificial Heart some obvious polish, but as always the charm comes compliments of Coulton’s off-kilter (but still somehow relatable) story-songs.

Blending the country- and folk-flavored soundtracks of the Firefly series and the Serenityfeature film with hip-hop lyricism, WarRock and The ThoughtCriminals‘ Mikal kHill craft the perfect nerdcore mixtape. At once a love letter to fans and a clever metaphor concerning the struggles of the independent artist, The Browncoats Mixtape leverages the strength of fandom into an unforgettable artistic achievement.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #78 via this link.

The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. He got the donuts, which means he got the donuts that he wanted.

This is definitely my favorite costume story from San Diego Comic-Con this year.

Molly Quinn showed up at the Comic-Con Castle panel wearing a well-planned Captain Mal Reynolds costume. I’m still trying to dig up a picture of Fillion’s face when he saw her in costume, but it must have been priceless.

You can skip this paragraph if you understand why this is so awesome. Those of you not familiar with the shows Castle or Firefly would need to know that Nathan Fillion played Mal Reynolds on Firefly (and in the movie Serenity based on the series), and currently plays the part of Richard Castle in the ABC crime series Castle. Molly plays Alexis, Castle’s teenage daughter. I probably totally ruined the awesomeness by explaining it, but there it is.

While neither the first nor (alas) the longest-running television space Western, Joss Whedon’s Firefly managed to capture the attention of a legion of fans even after its unceremonious cancellation. It’s a license that lives on, thanks both to an expansion into other media (such as comic books) and the dogged dedication of the Browncoat fan community.

Just like Wizard Rockers, Twihards and Bronies, Browncoats have even managed to channel their love of Firefly/Serenity into song. The latest of these musical endeavors comes from comic shop hip-hopper Adam WarRock. Backed up by Mikal kHill of North Carolina nerdcore collective The ThoughtCriminals, the Browncoats Mixtape promises sharp lyricism, country-fried beats and hooks galore.

Today is the 47th birthday of Joss Whedon, geek icon extraordinaire. Without Whedon, the world of geekdom would have had no Buffy the Vampire Slayer, no Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and no Firefly/Serenity. The mere fact that Firefly famously had only one incompletely broadcast series on TV, yet acquired such a following that a major studio was willing to produce a feature film based on it three years later, is testament to the kind of imagination, writing, and directing talents Whedon possesses. It’s worth noting, too, that without those talents Pixar might not have the stellar position in the world of animation it possesses, as Whedon co-wrote Pixar’s first feature film — I refer to Toy Story, of course — which was widely praised for the quality of its story and dialogue.

Whedon’s talents are at this very moment being put to a much more visible test, as he works on directing The Avengers from a screenplay he wrote. Considering how mainstream comic book superhero movies have recently become, this is far and away the highest-profile project Whedon has ever undertaken, and I think it’s safe to say most geeks have a great deal more confidence that the movie will be good than they would have had with pretty much any other director/screenwriter you can name.

Whedon isn’t perfect — one look at Dollhouse will tell you that, although the series did have some great moments — but for me, at least, his name on a project automatically gives it a great deal of credibility and chance for success.

So please join all of us at GeekDad in wishing Joss Whedon a very happy birthday, and many more to come!

Geeky cultural mashup artist James Hance is at it again. He’s lending his talents to Can’t Stop the Serenity, an organization that screens the 2005 film, Serenity, to raise money for the charity Equality Now which aims to end violence and discrimination against women worldwide.

His latest work combines the characters in Joss Whedon’s Firefly universe with all manner of Muppets and Fraggles in Hance’s signature style. With Kermit as Mal, Fozzie Bear as Jayne, Beaker as Simon, Ms. Piggy as Inara, Sam the Eagle as Shepherd Book and some Fraggles rounding out the crew, James paints a compelling picture of what Firefly could look like with Jim Henson at the helm.

Visit James’ tumblr page to see the work as it evolves, and some fantastic additional casting decisions (two by two, hands of blue, anyone?). You’ll soon be able to buy prints to support Equality Now.

In the mean time, envision Kermit delivering this line from Serenity about the first rule of flying, and tell me you wouldn’t want to see a live-action adaptation: “Love. Can know all the math in the ‘verse but take a boat in the air that you don’t love? She’ll shake you off just as sure as a turn in the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughtta fall down…tell you she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens…makes her a home.”

During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly Nathan Fillion said:

“If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to “Firefly,” make it on my own, and distribute it on the internet.”

Suddenly the Twitterverse was all a buzz with Firefly writers Jay Molina and Jane Epenson tweeting that they would be interested in working on the project. Jewel “Kaylee“ Staite simply responded “Is the Pope Catholic?”

This is all the fans needed to hear. The “Browncoats,” as they like to be called, came to Mal’s aid in the form of a website called Help Nathan Buy Firefly. This ambitious project aims to raise the money to help get Mal back at the helm of Serenity. The website is Phase 1 of their plan which is to generate momentum.

While this is an ambitious project, I never underestimate the power of fans in large groups. Hopefully Fox will also see the value in reviving a great show like Firefly. So what are you waiting for? Get your brown duster out of the closet and go over to Help Nathan Buy Firefly and get some momentum going

I’ll make it even easier for you. Like and share them on Facebook. Tweet about the project using these tags #HNBF #Firefly with this url http://dft.ba/-firefly. Now all you have to do is get the duster out of the closet.

The character of Mal Reynolds in Firefly obviously had a bit of Han Solo in him. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. It turns out that a small replica of Han in carbonite was on the TV show’s set and occasionally made it into the broadcast footage.

I was just absolutely gobsmacked when I read about this on geek with curves yesterday, because I’m usually good at spotting anomalies like that and because I’ve seen every Firefly episode at least five times. Here’s one picture (with Han identified by a red rectangle); you can see the rest in the original geek with curves post.